Of the 21 "experts", 5 predict the Red Sox will miss the playoffs (though they could still finish in 2nd place). But 9 of the 21 expect the Red Sox to play in the World Series, with 7 saying they should win.

ESPN.com asked 15 of ESPN's leading baseball experts to rank every major league team from 1-30, and the Red Sox came out on top, narrowly beating out their two AL East rivals -- the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees. In fact, the defending AL champion Rays finished with more first-place votes than the Red Sox (6-5), but fell short of the Red Sox in the overall point total.